Knock Out
by Natsu
Summary: I'm sick of these new-fangled 02 pairings that are everywhere today and so I took some time out from 'London Rain' to write some good old-fashioned Taito. *grins* Just like mother used to make...


Untitled Document

Knock Out

~Natsu~  


A/N: This idea suddenly came to me and I had to write it down before I forgot it all. ^^ It's the most unoriginal, totally predictable thing I've ever written in my life and there's probably a thousand other fics just like this out there butI don't care. There's too much Daiken and stuff and not enough Taito anymore. This is the kind of fic that makes me feel all warm and happy and so I am subjecting you to it too. Hah. I am writing the next part of 'London Rain' it's justgoing kinda slowly. So this might tide you over. Or it could just piss you off, I dunno.

The last scene could fit into the 'Turning'/'London Rain' plot line if you want it to.  


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"Are you implying that I'm a bad mother?"

"Not at all Mrs. Ishida, I'm simply saying that"

"Takaishi."

"Excuse me?"

"Takaishi, not Ishida. Not anymore."

"Oh. Oh, I see."

"Don't look at me like that."

"I wasn't aware that I was"

"I'm not a bad mother."

"No, of course. But then I'm sure you understand why I had to call you in here, ma'am."

A hesitant nod. "Yes" Then an opposing shake. "I don't know what the matter is. He's never been like this before"

"Well, in these cases it can often be a way for the child to rid themselves of foreign emotionsI would expect that it probably is directly linked to the divorce."

She sighed, frowning.

"Of course, it's not your fault, but I think that perhaps it might help to sit him down, talk him through everything. And to explain that violence is not a way to resolve"

"He knows it's the wrong thing to do," She explained sharply "You think we didn't bring him up to know that?" 

"Well I"

"Alright, look. Just tell me what you want to do about it and then his father and I will take care of the rest on our own."

He looked at her sceptically. "Fine then. Would you like to call him in?"

She stood, walked to the door and opened it, ready to talk to her son.

Her son who wasn't there.

She felt her lips tighten. As if he wasn't in enough trouble already. Maybe she really was a bad mother. She stared at the moulded lump of plastic that vaguely resembled an empty chair for a moment before marching up to the receptionist's desk.

Halfway across the school, Yamato was standing up from a different lump of moulded plastic, as the door to the nurse's office slid open. He knew that this wasn't where he was supposed to be, but since he had no particular desire to face his mother's 'I'm so disappointed in you, Yamato' face he figured that he might as well get this out of the way with first.

"Hey," He said as the kid stepped out and looked up at the voice. He regarded Yamato warily. Yamato didn't really know him. He was in a different class and you just didn't socialise with the kids from the other classes. Yamato could vaguely remember seeing him around school, but that was largely due to the boy's flamboyant nature and equally flamboyant appearance.

His hair was completely out of control, sticking out in all directions, as if the boy's head was being engulfed by chocolate flames. Bushy strands flopped over his eyes which were soft and coffee-coloured and under better circumstances their warmth would probably have moved Yamato to makes friends. He always liked making friends. Or at least he always had. He wasn't sure if he wanted friends anymore.

Today the kid was wearing a shockingly blue T-shirt and around his neck hung the trademark pair of goggles that had made his face stick in Yamato's mind in the first place. You didn't often see someone wandering around school with a pair of oversized goggles round their neck. Especially not when teamed with such mad hair.

Yamato smirked. 

The kid scowled. "What do you want?"

With an amazing amount of resolve, Yamato wiped all traces of the smirk from his face, focusing on doing what he had come here to do.

"I wanted to sayI'm sorry," He said quietly, looking down at his feet. This kid should consider himself lucky to be getting an apology from him. Yamato didn't often apologise. But then he didn't normally punch strangers in the face either.

When the mad-haired boy didn't respond, Yamato continued. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he said glancing at the blossoming bruise on the kid's cheekbone, "Well, I mean I did mean to but"

The kid was staring at him.

"but I wish I hadn't," Yamato finished uncertainly. Brown eyes regarded him thoughtfully, before the barest trace of a forgiving smile appeared across the kid's lips.

"That's okay. I shouldn't have said that about your friend. It was just a joke, I didn't know you'd take it so seriously," the kid shook his head, "I'm sorry I said it."

Yamato blinked, surprised. The kid was apologising to him? And so casually as well. He didn't even have anything to apologise for. "You don't have to be sorry. It was my fault, really."

"Yeah, but"

Yamato grit his teeth. "I said it was -my- fault." He repeated suddenly feeling as though he should bewhat exactly? Winning? Winning what?

The kid opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it and shrugged. 

"Okay. You're forgiven."

"Good." They stared uneasily at each other for a moment before,

"I'm Taichi," the kid offered, "but everyone calls me Tai."

"Matt," Yamato returned, "Yamato."

Taichi grinned and again Yamato was amazed by how friendly and forgiving this kid was being towards him, considering what he had done. If someone had hit him like that, he'd have held a grudge for years.

"Well it's nice to meetcha Yamato," Taichi said politely and Yamato nodded. "I should go back to class now," 

Yamato tilted his head. "Aren't you going home?"

"Nah," Taichi said with a spunky half-smile, "It won't kill me. I'll be okay. See ya."

"Yeahsee ya." Yamato watched as he walked away. "Taichi" He muttered to himself after the other had gone, testing the name. He liked it, he decided finally.  
It was almost as good a name as

"Yamato!" Uh oh. Yamato winced and turned to face his disgruntled mother.  


* * * * * * * * *

"I don't believe thisyou're such an idiot Tai!"

"Shut up! Will you just shut up already?! Do you think you're making this easier?!"

"Well how the fuck could you lose the fucking camp?!" The swears slipped from Yamato's young lips before he could stop them. He hardly ever swore, wanting to set a good example for his little brother, but Taichi was making him so angry.

"It's not just my fault you know. You should have been paying attention to where we were going as well!" That was good. Saved Taichi from having to admit that he had in fact been too distracted by his perplexing companion to note the route they were taking.

Yamato snorted, as he realised that he didn't have a suitable response for that one.

"Alright finewe were both at fault, happy?"

"No."

"Why not?!" Taichi paused. Why wasn't he happy with that?

"I don't knowjust shut up!" Taichi repeated.

"You keep saying that and I am going to hit you so hard"

"Okay look, this is so stupid. We're going to get a lot further if we stop screaming and just concentrate on finding the camp, right?"

Yamato glanced at him, anger fading and nodded reluctantly.

"Right," Taichi supplied, a vocal answer to his own question, "Solet's go through here." He pushed his way through the bushes and off of the path that seemed to be leading them in completely the wrong direction. He heard Yamato hesitate, obviously wary about straying from the safety of the path, then follow obediently. A rare occurrence. Taichi guessed he must be doing something right if Yamato was going along with it and he felt an irrational sense of pride at the thought. He doubted that Yamato would ever realise how important his approval was to Taichi. He'd probably never know why eitherin fact, Taichi himself didn't know why. He'd never really cared what others thought of him. Probably because he'd never had any reason to. But with Yamato, Taichi always had the strangest desire to earn his approval. 

"Taiare you sure that we're not just going completely the wrong way?"

"No. Not really."

"Oh. Well as long as that's clear." Was that almost a smile that Taichi could see on Yamato's face? Surely not.

"Aren't you worried I'll get us lost?"

"I guessa little no, not really."

"Why?" 

Yamato shrugged in response, his eyes focused on the dim shadows ahead. They were walking alongside a river and if they followed it, it would probably eventually lead them to the little lake they were camped by. It was lighter outside of the forest, the moon being almost full and the reflection from the water doubling the pale glow.

Taichi glanced sideways at the taller boy next to him, trying to work out exactly why he felt so drawn to him when Yamato obviously couldn't stand the sight of him. It didn't make any sense, but Taichi just liked to be around him. He liked his clothes, he liked his dry sense of humour, he liked the way he smiled for his brother and for no one else. Of course, Taichi would have liked it more if Yamato was smiling for him instead, but you couldn't have everything, right? He loved the moulded perfection of the spiky blonde hair, the way it hung idly across the other's forehead, he loved those eyeshe wanted to be just like him and he wanted him, period. Taichi wasn't sure quite how he wanted him (still being relatively innocent) but he knew that he wanted some kind of claim to him.

It was almost like having a crush on a girl, only more intense. And besides Yamato wasn't a girl.

Weird.

"What?" Yamato's voice interrupted Taichi's thoughts.#

"Huh?"

"You keep looking at me funny. Is my hair doing something strange or something?" Yamato lifted a hand automatically to pass it through his hair.

"No"

"Just?"

"Just wondering."

"About what?"

"Whether your hair's really that colour naturally," Taichi lied cheerfully.

"Yeah? Well I was just wondering how long it'll be before yours swallows your head completely."

"At least I'm not gonna go home with my roots showing."

"At least I'm going home with a head." 

They both smirked as the soft orange light of a campfire wormed it's way into the looming darkness.

"Hey! Hey look! It's camp!" Taichi cheered with a huge grin while his mind screamed madly 'Hey look at me Yamato, look what I did! Be impressed!'

"Yepsure is. Come on then, stop jumping around like an idiot and keep walking."

"I found the camp!" Taichi grinned harder, resuming walking, "Who found it?"

"You found the camp, Tai."

"Oh yeah! Who's the coolest?"

"Oh I'm still the coolest. You're justslightly cooler than you were five minutes ago."

Taichi paused, "Slightly cooler? Woohoo! I'm slightly cooler!"

Yamato shook his head and rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.  


* * * * * * *

"Fuck, Tai, I'm so sorryare you okay?"

"I'm bleeding. Do I look okay to you?!"

"Tai" Yamato offered a hair to the scruffy-haired brunette, sitting at his feet. The other accepted the hand with a scowl and pulled himself up, "I didn't mean to hit you so hard."

"Yes you did!"

"I said I was sorry."

"If you're sorry now, why did you hit me in the first place?!"

"Because you were pissing me off!" 

Taichi pressed his fingers to his bleeding lip, "I was pissing you off?!" The words would probably have been more intimidating if they hadn't been mumbled through his fingers.

"Yes! It's not my fault if Sora likes me better than you!"

"Oh right. Because flirting outrageously with her is totally not your fault."

"I don't flirt with her!"

"Oh whatever, Yamato!"

"I don't! That's just me being normal!"

"Pretty fucked up kind of normal!" Yamato glared into the heated brown eyes. The ones that were normally so cheerful and understanding. It was unusual for his best friend to show this much anger towards him. Had he really been in the wrong this time? Or was Taichi just that crazy about Sora?

"Well you know what? You can have her Tai! You can have her!"

"I don't want her!"

"Then why the hell are you yelling at me?!" 

"Because you're yelling so I'm yelling back!"

"You fucking started it!" This was so pointless! Another pointless fight just like when they were kids. They were fighting for the sake of fighting.

"Waityou don't want Sora?" Taichi asked suddenly.

"No!"

"Butthen why are you leading her on like that?!"

"I'm NOT! I am not doing anything to her!"

Taichi paused and glared. The flow of blood seemed to be petering out. A tiny thought was trying to poke it's way through the cloud of anger fogging up his brain. If Yamato didn't like Sora after allwhat exactly was his problem? Taichi made an indistinguishable noise of frustration in the back of his throat. He hated it when his thoughts stopped making sense. 

After battling their way through their turbulent younger years, Taichi and Yamato had become inseparable friends. The best. Joined at the hip through thick and thin. That was how it was and that was how Taichi liked it. Only nowTaichi got the distinct feeling that they were drifting apart. He was busy with soccer and Yamato was always practising with his bandthey had completely different groups of friends; completely different dress sense and took completely different classes. All petty things that divided you into completely different worlds when you went to their high school. But despite it all, they had kept the gateway between their worlds open - until now. Everything seemed to be falling apart and Taichi didn't think he could deal with that. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he didn't think he could. The thought of losing his friendship with Yamato was on the same level as losing a brother. 

"If I'm pissing you off so much, you can hit me back. Will that make you feel better?!" Yamato cried angrily.

Taichi paused. That did sound inviting.

"Yes! Yes it would!"

"Go on then! I'll just stand here, shall I?"

"Fine!"

"Fine!" Yamato's body tensed, eyes sliding closed, anticipating the blow. He'd been hit by Taichi plenty of times and if this earned him the other boy's forgiveness then it'd be worth a black eye or bloody nose. Besides, Yamato didn't really believe that Tai would hit him. He wasn't the most trusting of people, but he knew how his best friend worked.

Taichi balled his fist, finding that even as he did so, he had absolutely no desire to hit his friend. Especially when he really hadn't done anything wrong. Driven by the adrenaline and recklessness of such a heated fight, he leant forward and pressed his injured lips to the other's without a second thought.

When Taichi pulled away from him, it took Yamato a moment to comprehend what had happened. From his experience that wasn't what a vicious punch normally felt like. He cleared his throat and looked up to meet Taichi's eyes which were draining of anger and rapidly filling with the horror of realisation.

"Funny kind of hit, Tai," Yamato said eventually and the brunette's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're noteven madder?"

"No."

"You didn't mind?"

"Not really." Yamato replied as if reading from a script.

"Oh. Okay" Silence. Had they accidentally fallen into the Twilight Zone? Taichi couldn't stop himself from staring numbly. Why wasn't Yamato attacking him? Why had he just done that?! Why would he ever ever do something like that? What a horrible, terrible, totally wrong thing to happen! 

Even if it had sent ecstatic little chills up his spine. 

Yamato blinked as Taichi stared. Maybe it wasn't Sora that Taichi liked. He stepped forward tentatively, studying Taichi's face for any negative sign. When all he received was a slow intake of breath, he leaned in performing an action he had performed many times before on way too many fangirls. 

Only it was much better than kissing a fangirl.  


* * * * * * * *

"You're just talking crap, aren't you?"

"I'm not! We're supposed to turn off when we see a sign for Mikageishi Cathedral"

"Mikageishi Cathedral doesn't exist!"

"Of course it does."

"I'm telling you, it doesn't. Take a left," Yamato said irritably as Taichi hit the indicator and swept the steering wheel round to turn the car, "Are you sure that was what he said?"

"Yes I'm sure Yamato. It's not my fault if you can't read a map."

"I can read a map! The place isn't fucking on here!" Taichi's boyfriend snapped defensively. The brunette sighed, dropping the subject, eyes scanning the various signs that lined the road. How difficult could it be to find one little house?

"You know, you two sound just like Mom and Dad used to," Takeru piped up cheerfully from the back seat where he sat with Hikari, his best friend and partner in crime.

"Shut up Takeru. That isn't helpful." Yamato continued to pore over the map in his lap. The cathedral really wasn't on there. He should never have let Taichi take that phone call. If you wanted something done right

"Now where? Which way?" Taichi asked suddenly as they reached a junction.

"Hang on" The failing navigator muttered, glancing over the map. He had no idea where they were.

"We can't 'hang on'," Taichi snapped, his eyes flicking to the rear-view mirror, which showed a looming red Land Rover slowing ominously behind them, "It's not hard. Look at the map and tell me what it says!" That had come out harsher than he had meant it to and he was expecting something equally harsh in return. Nevertheless, he still jumped when the hefty road map was thrown heavily into his lap.

"Fine! You find where we're going!" Yamato folded his arms and looked away stubbornly.

"While I'm driving?!"

"Go ahead. Wow me," was the indifferent reply.

Taichi scowled and turned right, ignoring the map. The pair sat in icy silence in the front while amusement reigned the silence in the back. After five minutes it became clear that Yamato would be making no further effort to navigate. Taichi scowled harder. Yamato was such a pain in the ass when he was like this.

"Arghyou are such a prima donna, you know that?" Taichi blurted in frustration at the famous blonde who was his other half. He hit a nerve.

"Right. That's it. Pull over right now!"

"Why?"

"Pull over." Yamato's tone left no room for argument and Taichi complied reluctantly. Takeru and Hikari watched with interest as their respective brothers climbed wordlessly out of the car and slammed their doors in unison. 

Hikari giggled. These two were so funny when they were arguing. She and Takeru watched the muted argument through the car window. They watched as Yamato sulked. Watched as Taichi smiled and tried to make things better with a kiss. And they continued to watch as Yamato delivered a hearty punch to Taichi's stomach, stormed back to the car, climbed into the driver's seat and locked the doors behind him.

"Yamato!" Hikari cried, despite her previous giggles, as he turned the key to start the car,

"You can't just leave Tai here!"

"I'm not going to," Yamato replied calmly as Taichi's face appeared at his window.  
He said something through the glass that Takeru and Hikari couldn't make out. Yamato seemed to get it though, for he replied, "Fine. But I'm driving. I don't care if it's your car or John Lennon's, I'm driving." Taichi reluctantly nodded his assent and Yamato unlocked the doors for his boyfriend to climb in.

"Right," Taichi said, pleasantly, picking up the map as Yamato pressed his foot to the accelerator. His soft eyes traced the winding muti-coloured lines that were woven across the page in front of him. "Here," he said, "Right here. Dairiseki Cathedral." He directed a pointed look at the driver.

"Dairiseki? Tai, you said Mikageishi!"

"No I didn't"

"You did!"

"Yeah wellslip of the tongue," The brunette said in pacifying tones.

"I'll give you a slip of the tongue" Yamato muttered absently, internally wincing as he heard how that sounded.

Taichi smirked. "Oh good," He said cheerfully, "You wanna pull over again?"

"They don't sound a thing a like," Yamato replied, ignoring the last turn in the conversation.

"Sure they do. Take a leftNo! My left!"

"Your left is the same as mine!"

"Well then I meant right. It's okay, we can double back at the next one. How can you not know where your own Dad lives anyway?"

Yamato sighed, glaring as a flirty little Jag overtook him without indicating, "I've never been here before. It's not my fault he wanted to move in miles away with a freakish woman who likes me better than him. Which way?"

"Right at the stop sign. I hope she realises she doesn't stand a chance."

"Hmm" Yamato said thoughtfully, "I don't know about that. She does have killer legs"

"Ughyou bitch. You better be joking." Taichi muttered. They both joked about running off with women. It never meant anything and Taichi knew that hell would freeze over before a woman could split them up, but stillevery time, it made something twitch in his chest. A painful uneasiness and gentle reminder of how much in love he was with the young musician sitting next to him.

"Of course I'm joking." Yamato said sincerely as he hit the indicator with a graceful flick of the wrist, triumphantly overtaking the Jag, which was still in front of them.

"See nowthis is why I like the car better than you," Taichi mused, patting the dashboard lovingly, "She never makes evil bitch comments like that," He glanced sideways at Yamato.

"Yeah? Maybe you should try sleeping with the car from now on," Yamato returned.  
Taichi smiled wryly, "Could make for a more interesting sex life, I suppose." He said, walking thin ice.

Yamato narrowed his eyes, about to rely suitably, when Takeru interrupted.

"You knowwe are still here." Hikari nodded in agreement.

"Innocent minds are present." She added.

"Innocenthuh." Taichi muttered glancing over his shoulder at the two sixteen year-olds in the back seat, who were both innocently widening their eyes and clasping their hands innocently in their laps.

"Okay, look, we're never gonna find this place," Yamato started suddenly in a very diplomatic kind of voice, "Let's find somewhere to eat, call Dad and get new directions. What do you say?"

Taichi shrugged. "Sure, okay." Takeru and Hikari voiced their agreement from the back seat and Yamato turned sharply, exiting the freeway they had somehow got onto. 

"Woah! Slow down!" Taichi said urgently as they paused at a roundabout. 

"Why?" Yamato said, amazed at how little traffic there was around here. He was so used to the packed city streets that this seemed unreal. For once no cabby would ever be able to tell him that he'd 'be quicker walking'. 

Taichi patted the dashboard again. "This here's my baby, remember. You hurt her and I will hurt you, capiche?"

Yamato glanced quizzically at his boyfriend before turning his attention back to the road.

He smirked and floored the accelerator.

Taichi started to protest, then changed his mind and shut his mouth. Who really cared about a stupid car when you had a boyfriend like Yamato? He glanced sideways at the blonde beside him. What a knock out.  


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A/N: I'm gonna stop there coz I'm bored. *yawns and stretches* Oohand hungry. Wonder what we have in the kitchen?   



End file.
